The Tale of Two Packs
by Dax1209
Summary: "Because you are one of mine. You are pack and I had to watch you get shot last night." Scott shook his head, slumping back down. "I will always come for you."
1. Chapter 1

Scott stood in the doorway of the sheriff's office, feeling his heart sink a little more. He had been so sure that there was something to save in Jackson, that he could be helped but the smug look on his face told Scott that he was being thrown to the wolves again. He would have laughed at the image if it wasn't so pathetic. He failed his pack again.

The pain and sadness in his eyes as he met Jackson's gaze hit the other boy with the force of a buckshot and Jackson started to question what he was planning to do to the pair of idiots in the retribution. Scott brushed past Stiles and crashed on the sheriff's couch, buried his head in his hands and allowed tears of frustration to leak into his palms. "Why won't you let me protect you? Do you really hate me that much?"

Jackson was sure no one in the room was supposed to hear the wolf, but his newly discovered enhanced senses picked up the words as if they were shouted. He could smell Scott's tears and he wondered how he could possibly care so much about the bane of his existence. Scott's reminder that he didn't have anyone hurt, but it also brought back the last time he was alone facing evil, being taunted by Derek about being completely alone. Scott had been there for him then, protected him from the other beta and got thrashed for his concern.

"Stiles, what exactly are you doing here? I was about to call you."

Stiles surveyed the occupants of the room, carefully avoiding his father's eyes. Jackson was smug but possibly a touch conflicted and he had known Scott for long enough to recognize the utter defeat in his posture. He was sure if Gerard walked in that moment, Scott would have handed him the sword. "We came to get your help, but apparently it wasn't worth it."

Jackson flinched at the harsh words, somehow understanding that Scott had been about to expose himself to the sheriff in order to help him. He watched as Scott seemed to fold in on himself, his body trembling with silent sobs. "You were going to expose yourself, for me?"

Scott turned teary eyes on the teen next to him, knowing he was the only one who heard the question. "If that's what it took to keep you safe from the Argents, yes."

Stiles wondered if the adults in the room figured out that there was a near silent conversation going on between the boys. Whatever was being said, he could tell by the completely flabbergasted look on Jackson's face that it was important. He turned his attention back to his father to give Scott more time. "Why were you calling me?"

"I need you to tell me what happened last night." Stiles knew that his father was digging but they weren't ready to answer that, especially with Jackson's father in the room so he did what he always did, he stalled.

"Do you have any idea what they would have done to you?" Jackson's hiss bordered on fearful and Scott turned away from the unfamiliar emotion.

"Yes." Scott knew there was a very real possibility that he could be locked up for the rest of his life for his connection to Peter's death and his part in breaking Isaac out of prison because he wasn't about to give Derek's name again. If the sheriff took the news incredibly poorly then he might even be tied to all the murders that Peter committed. He wouldn't make it to trial anyway. The Argents would make sure he died in his cell long before he made it to the first full moon.

"You idiot." Jackson grabbed his wrist, drawing his attention back. "Why?"

Eyes flashing gold for a second, Scott glared. "Because you are one of mine, you jackass. You are pack and I had to watch you get shot last night." Scott shook his head, slumping back down. "I will always come for you." Jackson felt his heart tighten in his chest for once not feeling quite so alone.

"Stiles stop." It was obvious the struggle that Sheriff Stilinski was fighting to tamp down his irritation with his son. "Just stop stalling and tell me what happened."

"I was at the club with Danny. They didn't want me to get caught drunk." Jackson rubbed his eyes and turned to the floor. "So they hid me in the car and took me to Scott's place. I must have wandered off at some point because I woke up in the Johnson's back yard."

Stiles eyes grew to the size of golfballs as he turned on the lacrosse co-captain but he wasn't about to contradict Jackson. "Yeah, what he said."

"And your phone?" the Sheriff held up the offending piece of tech.

"I told you, you dropped it, you idiot." Stiles slapped Scott on his shoulder. "We were trying to find Jackson when he took off. I couldn't find it when we got back to the house."

The sheriff looked incredulous at the story, and Jackson's father was livid. "Drinking? What were you thinking?"

Jackson flinched. "I got benched." Stiles had to fight back the urge to stare dumbfounded at the other teen, knowing it would set off his father's curiosity. "I left the game Monday without permission and the coach pulled me off first line for the next game."

The obvious self loathing in Jackson's voice stalled his father's further tirade. He knew that Jackson put way too much pressure on himself to be perfect, he honestly was expecting this sort of break much sooner. "Let's go. We'll talk about this at home."

* * *

Scott sighed and pulled his Econ book from his bag. Somehow supply and demand didn't really feel important compared to what he was dealing with outside of school, but he wasn't about to be held back a year.

"McCall, why are you hiding under my window like a deranged stalker?" Jackson had an expression on his face that was a mixture of irritation and amusement.

"Making sure you're okay." He shrugged shyly and climbed to his feet.

"Is this something I'm going to have to get used to?" He stood back and gestured for the werewolf to come in through the window.

Scott hopped inside the house and set down his book bag. "Could be worse. Derek just camps out in my room whenever he feels like it. At least I stayed outside."

Jackson snorted, not doubting in the least that Derek would invade his territory unannounced. "As long as you're here, tell me everything you know about what I am."

There was frustration in Scott's eyes. "We don't know too much. Derek thought you were a myth." He opened his bag and pulled out a copy of the bestiary and Lydia's translation. "We stole this from Allison's grandfather. This is all we have on Kanimas." He couldn't even begin to express how thankful he was that Lydia was a genius. "From what we can tell, they seek out a master, and we're pretty sure that someone is already controlling you, but I think you are fighting it or you would have killed Derek and I when you had the chance."

"And I killed someone?"

"Three people from what we can tell." Scott nodded reluctantly. "There seems to be a code, an unwritten law that Kanimas only kill murders but I don't know if a master can find their way around that."

Jackson collapsed on the bed. "Why would I hurt Danny?"

"That's why I think you are being controlled." He hesitated. "Danny fixed the video of your transformation so I think who ever it is might have sent you to get the tablet from him to protect the secret."

It was clear from the drawn look on his face, that Scott wasn't finished. "What else aren't you telling me?"

"We were chasing you when you left my house. I was trying to keep Derek from hurting you when Allison's dad and grandfather showed up. You tossed her dad like a rag doll, but you just stopped in front of her grandfather. You were staring at him like you were waiting for something." Scott looked carefully at Jackson's reaction to the question. "Do you have any idea why?"

Jackson frowned, thinking back to every meeting he could remember with the principal. "No. I've only met him twice." He rubbed his eyes. "So why exactly are you standing guard on my window? Afraid I will go kill someone?"

The tan face scrunched in distaste. "More worried about Derek and the Argent's knowing where you live."

Fear trickled up Jackson's spine and he shivered. "So what? You're just going to live outside my window?"

"Until we figure this out," Scott gave a resigned sigh, "yes, when I can."

Jackson felt something in him unwind but outwardly he only rolled his eyes. "You can stay over there." He pointed to a small alcove by the window. "The last thing I need is my parents getting calls from the neighbor about a creeper." He glared at Scott. "Try not to perv on me while I sleep."

Scott snorted and moved over to the alcove, sliding down on the floor, he pulled his textbook out and resumed his reading. He wasn't expecting Jackson to invite him in, but it would definitely be better than sitting on the cold ground. Ignoring the sound of the other boy as he got ready for bed, Scott tried to get his mind to concentrate on his book instead of the war going on around him.

Jackson watched Scott in the mirror as he pulled down his covers. He was obviously having trouble focusing on the words on the page and he wondered just how far behind Scott was in his studies because of this nightmare. He had enough trouble focusing himself, and until the night before no one had been trying to kill him. Jackson tried to shake loose the part of him feeling sorry for Scott but he couldn't seem to forget the absolute devastation on his co-captain's face in the sheriff's department. Scott's entire existence had been torn apart once again and it was any wonder that he wasn't a drooling idiot in a mental hospital like Peter Hale. Angry at his compassion, Jackson grabbed his note book off the desk and dropped it next to Scott. "Try not to breath so loud."

Scott picked up the notebook, taking in the careful Economics notes scrawled across the page with a small smile. He recognized the olive branch for what it was, buried under the snide comment. "I'll try and control myself."

Jackson huffed and threw himself into bed, attempting to block out the steady heartbeat in the corner of his room that was calming his anxiety. The last thing Jackson wanted was to be dependent on Scott McCall, but something told him that very soon he would be if he let this continue.


	2. Chapter 2

There was an easy truce between Scott and Jackson for a few days and the relative peace was freaking out the lacrosse team, especially Stiles. Weird things started to happen the first week that spoke to a stronger bond between the captains. Jackson would wordlessly drop his notes on the table at lunch for whatever class they shared before every test or quiz. Scott would flip through the notes during the lunch, absorbing everything he could before dropping them next to Jackson on his way out the door. The entire exchange was done silently and between that and sentinel duty, Stiles was about to go postal. There was some unspoken code between the two during practice. Whenever one of them was not in the middle of the action during practice, their eyes were on the woods, almost as if watching for a threat. They instantly handed off guard duty when they switched positions in the practice line. Even scarier, they had some sort of nonverbal cue that warned of danger. He wasn't sure how, but both Scott and Jackson would stop and turn to the same part of the woods as if looking for something beyond normal field of vision. While the team had no idea what was happening, Stiles knew that it was some weird pack instinct that was developing, though he was still wigged out by it. A rare invite to Jackson's house proved much more enlightening for the inquisitive human when he noticed a small bedroll and pillow in the corner of his room under the window that he swore Scott's practice jersey was hiding under.

"Uh, Scott. Why are you living on Jackson's floor? Everything okay at home?" He was a little jealous that Scott hadn't come to him if he needed a place to crash.

"Derek's been coming every night, waiting in the neighbor's yard." Scott pointed out the window toward the neighbor's pool house and Stiles could see the outline of a figure sitting on the roof.

"So what, this is guard duty?" Stiles looked incredulous but Scott looked as if that would be obvious.

"He's pack."

Stiles groaned and rubbed his face. "It would have been easier if we just killed him."

Jackson snorted from his position at the desk, searching for research on his chemistry project. "Got it, let's go." Scott took a cursory look out the window, noting the locations of Derek's pack before giving a meaningful look to Jackson. The older teen nodded and grabbed his keys and leather jacket.

The lack of concern from the two supernatural wunderkinds really set Stiles on edge. "You know this silent communication thing is scary, right?" His question was met with an evil grin from Jackson. "I think I liked you better when you hated each other." Stiles crawled into his Jeep and waited for Scott to join him. Scott watched until Jackson was in his Porsche before he climbed into the Jeep and the trio headed to the library for their study session.

The oddity of the partnership came to a head four days later when the Argents caught up them in the middle of a battle with Derek's pack. Scott was busy fighting off Boyd and Isaac, while Stiles shot at Erica with Kanima tipped darts that Allison taught him to use. Derek's battle with Jackson was once again interrupted by a hail of bullets and Jackson dropped to the ground with a pained screech. Scott turned to see Derek engaged in a game of cat and mouse with Chris' bullets and Gerard standing over Jackson, in a position oddly similar to the last encounter. Gerard said something that drew a shriek from Jackson and the Kanima shot off after Derek again. Gerard watched with a smirk as Jackson changed his tactics and dropped Derek with a slash to the back of the neck. He was poised to kill, his claws over Derek's petrified abdomen when the howl rang out through the warehouse. Jackson turned to look at Scott, who shook his head slightly. Stiles watched on in shock when Jackson turned his attention back to the alpha, but instead of killing him, slung him over his shoulder and leapt out of the building through the roof. The rest of his pack took off into the night, leaving Scott to try and smuggle Stiles out of the building.

Scott got behind the wheel of the Jeep and drove them both to Derek's rail car, in time to see Jackson carrying Derek inside. Grabbing an emergency go bag that held a change of clothes for both he and Jackson, Scott walked into the building, with Stiles stumbling behind him in a confused haze. They found Jackson hovering over Derek's body where it was propped up against a crate, glaring at the other three pack members, poised for attack. Scott growled and tossed the bag at the Kanima, watching as it shifted back to a very naked and injured Jackson Whittmore.

"Oh crap." Stiles hit Scott on the shoulder, his eyes flying rapidly between his friend and former enemy. "You transferred the bond."

"What?" Scott threw an annoyed look at Stiles and walked over to evaluate the bullet holes in Jackson's shoulder. The bullets were through and through, and the wounds were already healing. "Okay?" Jackson nodded and turned his attention back to Derek's pack, inching toward them, as he pulled on a pair of sweats.

"The master bond…you transferred it to you." Stiles was bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. "That's why Jackson hasn't been out roaming every night, why he stopped before he killed Derek." He let out an embarrassing giggle that he would deny to his dying breath. "You are so Jackson's master!"

Scott snarled at Stiles, surprising his friend, and amusing Jackson. "Alpha."

"Right." Stiles shuffled a little. "Alpha."

"There's a difference?" Erica's snide comment drew a frown from both Derek and Scott.

"Of course there is. He isn't a slave. I don't own him." Scott struggled for a strong enough word. "He's pack."

"Family." Derek shot Erica a look. "But more. That's what I've been trying to tell you." He rolled his eyes.

"Alpha is the family patriarch, he's responsible for the health and safety of his pack and if it's a good alpha, he's devastated when he thinks he failed his pack." Stiles frowned remembering Scott in the police station. "That's why you were so upset in Dad's office. You thought you failed Jackson."

Scott's head jerked out a slight nod as he turned to Derek, his body shielding Stiles and Jackson from the other werewolves. "Are we going to have a problem?" Derek studied Scott carefully, and Erica started to encroach during his hesitation. Scott's eyes shot to hers, blazing red as his fangs grew.

Derek smirked when he saw Erica shy back. "As long as you can keep him in line, we'll leave him alone."

"Oh man!" Stiles jerked back. "Scott, your eyes are red."

Derek snickered. "I told you he was an alpha."

Scott calmed down and turned to Stiles and Jackson. "We're going to my place. Now that Gerard knows he can't control you Jacks, he's going to be coming for you." Scott checked the closed wounds on Jackson's shoulder to ensure they healed correctly. "Do you need anything from your house other than your car?"

"You're not driving my car, McCall." Jackson glared but it lacked any venom.

"Anything else?" Scott's look was innocent, but they both knew he was taking the Porsche for a joy ride.

"My books and gear." He glared at his alpha. "One scratch and I'm leaving you paralyzed in Argent's office."

There was a playful grin on Scott's face as he dumped his shirt in the bag and handed it to Stiles. "See you at the house."

Jackson snarled at his retreating figure as Scott shifted and left the building. "I mean it McCall." Stiles laughed and walked out with him, leaving Derek's pack to take care of him until the poison wore off.


	3. Chapter 3

Scott was twenty feet into the woods when he heard something that made his blood boil. _ "Let's just kill him. It's not like he can stop us." _ Skidding to a stop, he turned and sprinted back into the building, ignoring the Jeep pulling out of the parking lot. His body shifted into his alpha form when he arrived back in station and found Erica standing over Derek with her claws ready to strike down her alpha. He roared pouncing on her, holding her to the floor by her throat before shifting back to beta form. "If you even think about taking advantage of this to kill Derek I will gut you where you stand." He glared at the other two. "You protect your Alpha!"

"It's not like he gives a shit about us. We're better off on our own." The comment brought his attention back to Erica.

"I don't care if Derek is an ass. You pledged your loyalty to him. He's doing this for you, to keep you safe!" Scott flung the Beta across the room. "If he didn't care he would have let Argent kill you already."

"Why are you defending him when you wouldn't join him?" Boyd stepped forward in challenge.

Scott took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Did you miss the part where I'm an alpha?" He growled in annoyance. "And Derek says I'm an idiot. Look, it's simple. If you don't want to be part of the pack, there's the door. Try your hand at being an Omega, trust me, it sucks." He crouched ready to attack. "But I will warn you now, if you even think about hurting Derek again before this poison is out of his system, I will hand you over to Gerard myself. He's a dick, but he's the only brother I've got."

"Scott." He turned back to the other alpha. "I'll be fine. Go protect your pack."

The younger man hesitated for a minute, studying the calm eyes of his mentor. With a reluctant nod, he shifted back into Alpha form and ran back out into the night. He allowed the run through the woods to calm his nerves as he approached Jackson's house. He stopped long enough to shift back to his human form and check the perimeter for hunters. Finding nothing he slid in through the window and pulled his warmups from under the pillow where he slept. After he was dressed. He grabbed Jackson's books and gear, pulled a change of clothes from his closet and traipsed down to the garage, thankful that Jackson's family was once again out of town. He smirked as he opened the garage door and crawled into his pack mates car. There was no way Scott would ever be wealthy enough to afford a car like this so he was going to enjoy every minute that he had behind the wheel. With a deep cleansing breath, he let the rest of his worries melt away as he felt the engine roaring to life.

Scott nodded his head happily when he arrived at the house. Stiles and Jackson were sprawled out in his living room, safe and sleeping peacefully. He pulled out his hidden stash of medications and placed the bottle of Adderall next to his best friend before dumping the pizza boxes in the bin and climbing the stairs to his room. He was only marginally surprised to find Derek sitting in his chair with his usual brooding scowl. They considered each other for a moment and Scott had the odd desire to start scenting his room. An irritating smirk from Derek told him the other man recognized the urge when Scott started rubbing his shoulder against the door jamb. Annoyed and embarrassed, Scott straightened and dropped in his desk chair, thankful at least that he hadn't decided to urinate on the floor like a dog. "What idiotic thing did I do tonight that you want to ream me for?"

Derek chuckled at the often true statement. "I came to say thank you."

"Really?"

Scott's stunned expression made him feel uncomfortable but Derek soldiered on anyway. "You save my life tonight."

The younger alpha smirked, "twice."

"Fine twice." Derek scowled and stood, the words he needed to say were stuck in his throat. "You're a good alpha, and your pack will be strong." Knowing his mentor's difficulty discussing all things emotional, Scott remained still, letting Derek force the words out. The last Hale placed a hand on the back of his neck, holding his gaze with a warm sincerity. "It's nice to have a brother again."

A small flicker of amusement tickled Scott's brain as he watched Derek fling himself out of the window to escape the oppressive emotions of the conversation. Shaking his head with a fond smile, he walked over to his bed and crashed face first into his pillow letting the tension of the night drain away from his mind. The peaceful sensation lasted five minutes before Stiles walked into the room.

"I want you to bite me."

Scott groaned, pulling his body upright and studying his spastic friend. "Since when? You told me you didn't want it."

"No, I told Peter I didn't want it. He wanted to use me to kill people. I told Derek I didn't want it because he wanted me to be a soldier in his little were-army. You are an alpha now, and I trust you." Stiles lifted his shirt, exposing the side where both Scott and Jackson had been bitten.

"Stiles, I…"

Stiles dropped his shirt a little, some of his confidence waning. He took a moment, reaffirming his decision in his mind and stared at Scott with resolve. "Just do it. This way at least I'll survive when Argent shoots me."

Scott flinched at the reminder of the danger Stiles faced on a day to day basis. "Only if you survive the bite." Knowing what his best friend was like when he made up his mind, Scott knew that he wouldn't be able to talk him out of this and he really couldn't fault the logic. Stiles was the only human target in a supernatural war that didn't have at least some form of defense, poor crossbow skills not withstanding.

Stiles smirked. "I'll survive. I'm too awesome not to."

Rolling his eyes, Scott listened to Stiles' heartbeat, judging his sincerity. When he was sure that his friend really wanted this, he let his fangs drop and instinct took over. For the next two hours, he hovered by the bed, waiting for Stiles to wake up. A profound relief came when the pained brown eyes opened and Stiles started complaining non stop for an hour about stupid sharp werewolf teeth. Scott rolled his eyes after the wound was bandaged and kicked Stiles out of his bed. "Derek's gonna kill me for this."

Stiles smirked and ran down stairs to taunt Jackson with his awesomeness.


	4. Chapter 4

Waking with a start, Scott turned his senses to the house around him finding three other heartbeats. His mother was safely tucked away in her room, the smell of antiseptic telling him that she was too tired after her shift to shower before crashing. He turned his attention to his best friend, smirking at the mumbles about Lydia bleeding from his dreams. Scott frowned when he remembered the events of last night, the feral need driving him from the moment that Derek tackled Jackson in the warehouse to the moment he let his fangs sink into Stiles. Jumping off the bed, he let his legs carry him into the bathroom as he retched into the toilet. The knowledge that he could have killed Stiles last night was throbbing through his mind in red hot guilt. He endangered his best friend just to build a bigger pack.

"Just realizing that you're stuck with Stiles forever now?" Jackson's smug grin grew when he saw the glare from the young alpha. Scott was the Kanima's master, but that didn't mean that Jackson was going to stop tormenting him when he could get away with it. His compulsion was to protect Scott, even obey him, but while he was possibly starting to like the guy, reluctantly, he wasn't about to start showering him with devotion like Derek's simpering little wolves. The pair had worked out a system, one that was mutually beneficial, and Jackson preferred it to remain a series of snide comments burying any questionably soft urges.

"I could have killed him."

Jackson shrugged his shoulder. "Unfortunately not."

Scott glared at him, snarling in reproach. "He's pack."

Jackson didn't bother to point out that he wasn't bound by pack, only an infuriating tie to the pack's leader. He and Stiles didn't get along and he was planning on keeping it that way. Making concessions for his "master" didn't include his screwball cast of friends. "Whatever." He looked at his watch, already bored with the exchange. "I'm heading to the weight room."

Scott started to object, to warn him about the dangers of going off alone but he knew it wouldn't work. Jackson allowed him to show concern last night under the stress of Gerard's forced obedience and the gun fight, even obeyed his order to hide out at the house for the night, but in the harsh Saturday morning light, his shields were back in place and he was feeling less vulnerable. Being almost constantly in his presence in the last week and a half, Scott knew enough about Jackson's moods to know when it was worth fighting. Instead, he nodded, watching the other teen vacate his room without another word. His mind clashed angrily between the urge to force Jackson back with the bond and letting him have the freedom of choice as his body drifted to the window, watching the shiny sports car pull out of his drive.

In the absence of distraction, his mind turned back to the new wolf passed out on his couch downstairs and guilt washed over him again. Needing another outlet, Scott threw on clothes and resolved to renew his search for a way to control this animal trapped in his body. Quietly heading downstairs, he studied the sleeping pup as he lifted his friend's phone and retreated to the kitchen. Taking a deep breath, he opened the messaging app, again wishing this cloak and dagger process wasn't necessary just to communicate with his girlfriend. 'Morning beautiful. Any luck on cure research?'

Looking at the clock, he wondered if she would even be up at seven am. He was relived when the phone chimed a few minutes later. 'Not cure, but something that might help.'

'When?'

'Dad home, but distracted, come now.' Scott wiped the message history from the log and returned the phone to Stiles' side. Double checking again that Stiles had a steady heartbeat and wasn't in pain, Scott turned and left the house in a rush to get across town before his window of time closed.

Ten minutes later he was dropping his bike around the corner behind a bush and climbing her neighbor's fence to get the old pine. He scrambled up the trunk and jumped onto the garage roof, listening intently to the occupants inside house. He detected only two heartbeats and one was in the basement on the other side of the house. Taking in a relieved breath, he slid into the bedroom and waited for the girl across the room to notice him.

"Scott!" Allison's harsh whisper of admonishment brought a shy grin to his face. "Are you okay? I heard there was a fight last night."

He frowned sitting on her bed but forced a smile when she joined him, her arms immediately surrounding him. "We're okay. Your grandfather almost convinced Jackson to kill Derek but I stopped him." He took a heavy gasp, holding back a tremor. "It got loose last night."

"What?"

"I heard Erica threatening Derek and I shifted to alpha form." He shivered. "When I tried to run to Jackson's I couldn't stop the shift back." A stilted sob tore from his chest. "It made me turn Stiles last night."

"What?" Allison jumped off the bed, pulling away from him in shock.

"Stiles asked me for the bite. He really wanted it, but I'm not sure I could have stopped it, even if he did change his mind." Scott wrapped his arms tightly around his body, at war with his own mind. "Please tell me you found a way to stop it."

Allison watched his defeated posture before nodding, hesitantly. "I found something in the journals." She pulled a box out of a drawer in her desk and placed it carefully on the bed. She opened the ancient box to reveal syringes and bottles of cloudy yellow liquid. "They use it to control females during heat so they wouldn't attack innocents."

"You think it will work?"

Allison smiled at the glimmer of hope in his eyes. "The book says that it suppresses the feral drive." Her hands shook as she pulled out a bottle and started to fill a syringe.

"And you're sure it won't kill me or anything?" While he trusted Allison implicitly, hunters weren't known for being concerned about the beasts they were trying to control. He wouldn't be surprised if there were side effects.

She nodded, biting her lip as she rolled up his sleeve. "It will sting and you'll feel a little weaker, but it won't hurt you." She waited for his nod of approval before sliding the needle into his skin and pressing down on the plunger.

"How long will it last?" The words were hissed as the serum burned his veins.

"It should last a week." She rubbed tenderly at the injection site as she pulled out the needle, pressing her lips against the already healing mark. "Are you okay?" He nodded, allowing her to pull him back onto the bed before curling around her in a moment of serenity. He could feel the wolf rearing up against the drug, but the protests grew weaker as his eyes closed in relief. He couldn't remember when the rage began to build in his heart, but he felt it deflate for the first time in weeks.

Allison allowed him fifteen minutes of peace, running her fingers through his hair before she drew him off the bed and sent him out the window with a kiss. Just as she saw the figure on the bike fly down the hill the door behind her opened. "You're sure this won't hurt him?"

Her father's hands came to rest gently on her shoulders. "I'm sure. As long as we can suppress the alpha, your grandfather will continue to target Derek and leave Scott alone."

"I don't like lying to him."

"Would you rather he be dead?" She flinched at the harsh warning in his voice. "Stay the course and make sure your mother and grandfather never catch you with him or the drugs."

Allison nodded, unable to speak as her father left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Scott watched the eyes of his friend illuminate with golden ire as Harris gave him yet another detention for doing nothing wrong. He had a week until the full moon to figure out how to anchor his new beta before he wound up killing someone. Despite their new relationship, Scott doubted Jackson was going to be easy to deal with and there was no way he was going to be able to handle them both on his own. Derek was going to be tied up with his three new betas so he would be no help, would most likely need help himself. Scowling, he tapped his pencil on the desk and attempted to focus on the lab questions in front of him but his mind kept coming back to the full moon. He decided that he would drag Stiles out to the field over lunch and work on his ability to shift out of the view of the cameras. A grin suddenly came to his lips as he pictured "training" Stiles in the same manner his "Yoda" had dreamt up. As the bell rang, ending class, Scott realized that revenge was sweet.

"Why do I think that grin is a bad thing?" Stiles shivered, feeling the malicious glee from his alpha. It was an odd sensation, feeling Scott's emotions, not that they hadn't already been in tune with each other, but the bond seemed to add a new dimension to their camaraderie like bumping a movie from flat to 3D photography.

Scott grabbed his bag and darted out of the room, not surprised that Stiles was immediately on his six. "Because I just realized I get to train you how to control your transition. Lunch at the field?"

"Yeah, so."

"Still have the heart monitor?" Scott watched carefully, waiting for Stiles to make the connection.

"Oh, come on! It was trial and error then!" Stiles paced after his friend, hoping to talk him out of his plans by the time they made it to the lacrosse field for lunch period.

"But it was so effective." Scott laughed before sobering. "We need to figure out your anchor before the full moon. I'm going to have my hands full with Jackson and I really don't think I'm strong enough to keep the two of you from killing each other."

Stiles muttered expletives all the way to the bleachers, making only a brief stop at his gym locker to get the equipment. "It's not like I'm in some epic Romeo and Juliet reenactment here. I don't know if I have something strong enough to pull me back."

Scott hesitated, not sure he wanted to voice his thoughts. After he arrived home from Allison's on Saturday, he packed Stiles off to his house and sat thinking about the problem. "It has to be something powerful, stronger than the desire to kill."

Stiles noticed the way Scott's eyes squinted as he tried to figure out the best way to phrase what he wanted to say. "What are you thinking?"

"Your mother." He stepped back, as if waiting for Stiles to unleash a tirade about mentioning her. It was an unwritten rule that she was never brought up in front of one of the Stilinski men. "I know she used to bring you back from panic attacks."

Scott shuffled awkwardly from side to side, and Stiles was relieved that becoming a big bad alpha hadn't killed the part of him that was still an over caring doofus. "It could work." The emotions surrounding his mom were some of the strongest he had ever endured, though most were negative, and he didn't think anger or guilt were going to help him. He tried to hone in on an older memory, one before her death when his family had been happy. The image of his mother, dressed as Padme´, swinging light sabers with her nine year old son, while they waited in a four hour line for tickets to the midnight screening of the final Star Wars movie brought a smile to his face and he felt his nerves calm. "Let's do this." His fearless leader looked more like a happy puppy as he grinned and jostled his friend while pulling out the monitor and his lacrosse stick.

.

* * *

.

Jackson stood next to the bleachers in the same position he found three months ago when Stiles tried this same treatment with Scott. As the ball smacked audibly into the second stringer's chest he let loose a malicious laugh. Even as his eyes turned back to the woods, scouting the tree line for hunters around school property, he kept an amused ear on the proceeding a few feet from him because the sound of Stilinski's pain was too perfect to miss.

"I don't know what you're laughing at, Jackson, you're next, Mr. Psycho Killer."

Scott growled a warning at his friend, aware the he was battling insults the way he normally did, but he wasn't about to let Jackson fall into a depression over the loss of his control. They still weren't sure if Gerard Argent was the one ruling the Kanima or if he was just another attempted master.

Stiles cowered, his eyes lighting in horror when he realized the action was forced by his friend. "Is this what it was like?"

"What?" Scott forced his mind to calm and tried to figure out what Stiles was asking.

"When Peter forced you to do things?"

Claws bit into his palms as Scott railed against the memories and both Stiles and Jackson flinched back from the rage and terror that ran through the bond. "No. That was nothing." He took a shaky breath when he realized he had forced his will on Stiles. "Peter stripped me of my choice. He took everything that was human and turned me into a weapon."

Stiles trembled at the image. "Scott, you would never do that."

The alpha's eyes turned to Jackson, acknowledging with sorrow that he did exert his will on another, even if it was in his own best interest. He held Jackson's free will in his hand and aimed it where he pleased. He watched as the expressive blue eyes went cold. "I'll find a way."

Jackson didn't respond, just turned and walked back into the school, letting Scott watch his own back for a few hours.

"Find a way to what?" Stiles wasn't sure what just happened, but he was sure it was significant. The guilt flowing off Scott was almost crippling.

"As much as I denied it, Jackson is a slave." Scott sat heavily on the bleachers. "Until he can figure out how to control the shift, to be completely aware during it, I am controlling it for him. I'm forcing him to fight his nature and let me help him."

"It's not even close to the same thing." Stiles crashed next to him on the bench, pulling the tape from his wrists. "You're stopping him from killing, not asking him to do it."

"He's trapped, Stiles!" Scott's self loathing was palpable. "He can't even go out without me there to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone if they make him angry. I practically live at his house to make sure he doesn't shift in his sleep and go kill someone. He's completely dependent on me." He gestured wildly to the gear scattered around him. "You will be able to control it, you're already a hundred times better at it than he is. The panic attacks taught you how to control your heart rate so if you can find the right anchor you're set."

Stiles frowned. Amidst all of Jackson's posturing he thought the other boy was starting to warm up to Scott, to really become part of the pack. It never occurred to him what Jackson really lost after Scott took over the master bond. His eyes lit with a fierce determination. While he may despise Jackson, Stiles knew that Scott saw him as pack and he resolved in his father's office never to see that look of utter defeat in his friend's eyes again. "Then we'll figure out how to fix it." He started putting the gear in his bag and stood, dragging Scott back to the school. "We have eight days until the full moon to convince Lydia to finish the translations and research how to fix whatever screwed up Jackson's transition to a werewolf."

"Eight days, huh?" Scott groaned and dropped his head on his chest. "No pressure there." He was so flunking out of school.


	6. Chapter 6

Stiles groaned as he drifted out of sleep, annoyed that he once again fell asleep at his desk. After six hours of research into the wee hours of the night, he was still no closer to translating the arcane text of the bestiary. As much as he hated to admit it, it was time to pull in the big guns. Kicking the body passed out on his floor, Stiles rubbed his eyes and started in the direction of the bathroom. "Scott, wake up. We have practice in an hour." Stiles wasn't sure why they even bothered to practice anymore. Half of the first line squad had some sort of mythical super human upgrades and their team hadn't even been scored on in the last four games. The only real competition they got these days was pack versus pack scrimmaging in practice.

"Five more minutes." Scott grabbed his sweatshirt and wrapped it tighter around his body, fighting the morning chill.

"Get up." If his Saturday was going to be ruined then he wasn't about to let Scott skip out on practice.

Scott groaned and listened for Stiles to walk out of the room. As soon as his friend was beyond sight, he started to stretch out his cramped muscles, flinched at the tremors in his hands. Flexing his fingers several times, he shook off the tingles and massaged his temples. Another visit to Allison was in order before the full moon hit in two days to knock the wolf out again. "Why are we practicing on a Saturday?"

"Because Coach is a sadist." Stiles came back from the bathroom pulling on his sweats.

"Did you find anything after I passed out last night?"

Stiles hated to kill the hope in Scott's eyes. "No. I think we might have to visit Lydia again. I found two more sections on the Kanima in the bestiary but I couldn't translate them."

"Think she'll help us?" After three months of lying in an attempt to protect her, Scott was fairly sure Stiles had the same doubts he felt.

"Not a chance, unless you want to start telling her the truth."

Scott sighed and grabbed his clothes, walking into the bathroom to debate his answer. He stared at his reflection in the mirror and wondered if he even knew what a bed felt like anymore. At least last night he was indoors. Jackson barely spoke to him in six days and his window had been sealed shut just in case Scott hadn't gotten the message. Any progress that had been made in the preceding weeks had been wiped out by the reminder that Jackson was a prisoner in his own body. The backlash of scathing remarks and reckless nights out in clubs left Scott with raging migraines as he forced the alpha deeper and deeper in his mind, fighting every impulse to order Jackson to back off and stay safe. Instead he suffered in silence in an effort to give Jackson the illusion of freedom and concentrated on finding a way to fix this mess for good because his friend was in a death spiral of pain and self loathing and Scott had no idea how to stop it. As he raided the medicine cabinet for aspirin, he wasn't sure how much longer he could do this. He huffed out an anxious breath and finished getting ready. He hovered for a moment with his hand on the door to his beta's room wondering how his life spun so far out of control. Stiles opened the door before he had the chance, holding both of their gear bags and Scott offered a shaky smile. "We'll go see Lydia after practice."

"Everything?" Stiles understood the ramification just as well as Scott did, but something was wrong with Lydia and he didn't think they were going to be able to help her until she felt she could trust them. Maybe in some bizarrely perfect world Stiles only wished existed they would be able to help both Lydia and Jackson.

.

* * *

.

"Derek wants to know if you still think you have this under control." Isaac glared at Jackson as he gloated over the dirty tackle that put Scott flat on his back during practice.

Yanking off his helmet and flinging it in his locker, the young alpha sent a warning glower up at Derek's second. He's under control.

"If you say so." Isaac sneered. "We'll be watching."

Retreating inside his mind, Scott undertook his post practice ritual on autopilot. His ear was listening out for any danger to Stiles or Jackson, flinching with every derogatory the co-captain spewed about him. Most of the team was in a quandary, wondering what happened to the odd partnership of the last few weeks and he had to smile as he realized he wasn't the only one who missed it when they were both at peace and in sync. Unfortunately, the truce was apparently over. Scott watched Jackson with pained eyes as he did everything in his power to ignore the alpha. Taking a shaky breath, he moved to stop his pack member as he tried to slip out with Danny. "Jackson."

"Not now, McCall."

Scott's hand snapped out and wrapped around the other boy's arm. "Yes now."

Jackson snarled in anger and allowed his body to be pulled back into the locker room and into a secluded corner. "What do you want?"

Taking a deep breath, Scott reminded himself why he was taking the abuse as he forced down the urge to give the wolf free reign. "We ran into a road block with the Bestiary. There's more in there about you, but we need Lydia to translate it."

"And?"

Scott's claws unsheathed reflexively. "The only way she is going to help us is if we tell her what is going on, all of it. We're headed over there in an hour if you want to help."

Pulling out of the grip, Jackson turned for the door. "Have fun with that."

"Damn it, Jackson!" His fist flew into the locker next to him and the entire unit fell forward. "I'm trying to give you your life back. Would you help me out a little?" Wincing at the volume of his own voice, Scott shook his head in disgust at his weakness. Shoving back his rage, he grimaced at the pain spiking through his brain and grabbed his bag. "We'll be there in an hour."

Jackson watched him stalk out of the room, taking a good look at the person who held his fate in his hands. The flashing red eyes had been more of a sign of how much anger Scott was holding back then the destroyed row of lockers and he wondered if it was possible for a person to start looking that gaunt in just a week. Sighing in irritation that he felt any concern, Jackson stalked out the door to his car. He would go to Lydia's, not because the master asked, but because he had the feeling Scott and Stiles were about to do something stupid and he needed to be around to control Lydia before she told someone about him.

.

* * *

.

Scott searched his surroundings, listening for heartbeats before launching himself in Allison's window. He was aware of Allison talking to him, rushing over to pull him into her arms, but the buzzing in his ears was washing everything out with its chaos. "Allison."

The depth of pain in his voice spurred her into action and she pulled him over to the bed, grabbing the box from her desk. "How long have you felt like this?"

"A day? Jackson's fighting me."

Soft hands brushed against his trembling arm as she turned the crease of his elbow upward. "Shh, I've got you."

His red eyes faded back to soft brown as the liquid slid into his vein. Allowing Allison to ease him back onto the bed, he pulled her into his arms and let the smell of her perfume tickle his senses. "We have to be at Lydia's in an hour. We're going to tell her the truth."

"Sleep." She kissed his forehead. "I'll wake you up."

"Love you."

Smiling fondly, she ran her fingers through his hair. "Love you too." Scott drifted into sleep with a relieved smile on his face.


	7. Chapter 7

Scott barely remembered the trip to Lydia's house as he pulled his tired body from Allison's car but he fought for clarity as he stood on the portico. A cheerful smile fell from the red head's face as soon as she opened the door and found Scott and Allison on the other side, with Stiles and Jackson bounding up the steps to join them. "What's going on?"

Scott pushed his hands in his pockets, shifting nervously on the balls of his feet as he tried to figure out the best tactical approach to handling the mathematical genius. "It's time you knew the truth."

Piercing green eyes studied the alpha, searching for any sign of malicious intent before she opened the door and gestured for the pack to follow her. Silence followed the somber group as they navigated the halls of the house and piled into her room, finding various places to sit down. Lydia sat regally on her bed, waiting to be served the real story of what was going on around her. "Start talking."

Unable to handle the silent stare, Stile spit out the first thing that same to mind, earning him a glare from Scott. "What do you know about werewolves?"

Her eyes turned cold with rage. "Are you serious? You all spend three weeks lying to me and you want to talk about werewolves? Do any of you even care that I'm going insane?"

"Lydia," Scott moved to the bed, sitting in front of her, hands grasping her trembling wrists. "You aren't going insane. That animal that attacked you at dance was an alpha werewolf named Peter Hale."

She hissed pulling her arms out of his hold. "Start at the beginning and if you leave anything out I will castrate you, Scott McCall." She almost snarled at Jackson when he laughed at her threat. "You're next." His smile faded as memories of her fiery temper filled his mind.

Despite his supernatural powers, Scott would admit he was somewhat terrified by Lydia Martin and he started rambling out the story of Peter and his reign of terror followed by Jackson's descent into mindless killer and her suspected immunity to the curse. "We have a book that we stole from Allison's grandfather called the Bestiary, the one you translate for Allison. It has all the information their family learned about werewolves and kanimas, but we need your help to translate it. We're hoping that it has the key to curing Jackson."

Lydia's sharp eyes seemed to dissect the men in the room. "Prove it."

Scott sighed and allowed his body to shift into beta form. He almost groaned in pain when the alpha scrambled to get free and force submission from the girl. "Stiles and Jackson still can't control their transformations."

She flinched at the red eyes, fighting the nightmare of similar eyes that still haunted her sleep. When Scott shifted back to normal, Lydia forced a calm exterior and shrugged. "Give me to book."

Stiles moved immediately to comply, yanking his laptop from his book bag and opening the Bestiary file. "I found two sections on kanimas."

They sat quietly while she tapped the keyboard, reading the ancient Latin text like one of their text books. "It doesn't say how to do it, but it does mention that Jackson can finish his transformation into a werewolf if he resolves whatever stopped him from changing in the first place." She looked up at Jackson. "You have a master?" He nodded, glaring at Scott. "That's good. Scott should be able to help you learn to control your change so you stay cognizant while in your kanima form."

Scott perked up. "Does it say how?"

Lydia scoffed at the lack of scientific evidence in the text. "No. They assumed it was the same process as controlling a werewolf transformation due to the shared root cause."

"An alpha's bite." Stiles snapped his mouth shut when she glared at him for stating the obvious.

"It mentions weaknesses and antidotes to the toxin." Lips pursed in concentration, Lydia searched through the second passage of text.

"What weaknesses?" Allison's immediate interest in his vulnerable points set Jackson's teeth on edge and he fought the urge to attack the hunter. To his surprise, Scott also snarled protectively. "Scott?"

Scott shook his head, shaking off the alpha's desire to protect Jackson from danger. Reminding himself that he was among friends, pack, Scott took several deep breaths. "Is there anything we can use to weaken the kanima enough to help Jackson fight it and gain control?"

She didn't bother to look up from the text. "Cold."

"What?"

Lydia rolled her eyes at the idiocy of the alpha. "He's cold blooded. Cold will make him sluggish."

"Thanks, Lydia." Scott nodded, retreating to his own mind in an attempt to find a suitable place to help Jackson train.

She swatted absently at him as she continued to scan the contents of the Bestiary, looking for any explanation for her visions and hallucinations. Yanking a memory stick from her night table, she downloaded the text to use on her own computer for further investigation when she got rid of the crowd. "I'm keeping this."

"Do you think you can translate the rest of it for us?" Stiles flinched, trying to remove his foot from his mouth when she glared at him. "What I meant was, will you translate the rest of it for us? This is the closest thing I have to a Werewolf Guide for Dummies."

Jackson rolled his eyes and climbed off the window seat. "I'm out of here." His hands flexed angrily at his sides as he walked down the hall, angry that they were no where closer to a cure than he had been a month ago.

"Jackson!"

He wanted so much to run from the guy stalking down the hall behind him, but there was a hint of an order in Scott's voice and he found that he couldn't. "What do you want McCall. I came to your little pow wow. I'm leaving before you waste anymore of my time."

Scott's nostrils flared with anger and he huffed. "Meet me at the clinic tonight at nine and we'll work on your control."

Jackson's teeth clenched at the order. He had no wiggle room this time. "Fine." Back straight, the kanima spun and exited the house in the hopes of having some sort of fun before he was forced to spend his evening with McCall, again.

.

* * *

.

As soon as his boss was gone for the night, Scott started his job of cleaning up the animal clinic before starting to prepare for Jackson's visit. Cranking the air condition to frigid temperatures, he moved to the containment room and secured chains. In the operating room, he started to prepare items he would need for Jackson's transition. A pounding fist on the door interrupted him at five after nine. He could tell be the set of his shoulders that Jackson was apprehensive as he led him through the hallways. "This is the safest place we could be for training." Scott showed Jackson into one of the back rooms in the clinic where they kept large animals waiting for treatment. Already uncomfortable with the temperature, Jackson balked at the sight of the chains and restraints. He turned around and started back to the entrance. "Not in to bondage, McCall."

Scott caught his arm, stopping him. "The sooner we do this, the sooner you get your life back." He gestured to the chains. "I am going to have to let go of my control over your transitions, and after so long the kanima is going to be itching for a hunt. This is just to make sure you don't hurt anyone."

Fighting every impulse to run, Jackson forced his body into the room, grasping at the idea of freedom. This better not be some twisted sex fantasy, McCall."

Scott snorted and remained silent as he secured the restraints. Jackson watched nervously as he stood and walked from the room, hating himself for wanting to ask the alpha to stay. His self loathing ratcheted up a notch at the relief he felt when Scott returned holding several compresses and a bucket of water. Setting the bucket near Jackson, he reached out to grab a blanket and pillow before sealing them in the frigid room. Jackson would have made a comment about sleep overs if a crushing blow of pain hadn't crippled his ability to speak.

"I'm releasing my control over your transformation." Scott spoke calmly, and he placed the pillow under the bound kanima's head. "You need to control your change because the full moon tomorrow will be worse and I won't be with it enough to control us both. It hurts more when you fight it, and your human mind is lost to the beast." A blanket was draped over Jackson's chilled body and the relief was profound as he let his mind drift into nothingness. "Stiles is working on finding thermal gear for you during night games so the cold won't affect you so much." There was another flash of pain and he felt Scott hitting him on the cheek to get his attention, red eyes flaring. "Jacks, stop fighting. The more you fight, the more it hurts." He grabbed one of the shackled wrists and lifted it in front of Jackson's face. "Concentrate on changing you hand and only your hand. Once you can make partial transformations, you can prevent full transformations, even on the full moon." At least that was the running theory between Scott and Stiles.

Jackson stared at his hand, imagining what the claws looked like when shifted. He was shocked when greenish gray scales started to cover his hand and he felt his nails growing in length. Scott murmured encouragement and raised the other wrist. While Jackson turned his focus to the second hand, Scott wrapped the first hand in a steaming compress, bringing a hiss of pleasure from his friend.

"Why are you doing this?" If roles had been reversed and Jackson was the one in charge there is no way he would be spending so much time trying to figure out how give Scott back his control, especially after he spent a week lashing out at Scott in every way the kanima allowed.

"If anyone would understand why I considered being a werewolf a curse it's you. You're the only person I know who hates being out of control more than me."

Jackson grunted through another shot of pain before turning his attention on his feet. His mind drifted back to to the Alpha's behavior when he was first bitten. A memory of his first confrontation about steroids came to mind and he remembered Scott saying that he thought he was going insane. Jackson would admit only under penalty of death that he could appreciate the concern now.

"Jackson? Are you still with me?" The reptilian face nodded. "Good. This is what your transformation feels like. Concentrate on everything you feel and smell. It will help you know what is happening when you start to shift and to stop it before it happens."

Jackson tried to respond but found himself unable to speak. A violent shudder raced through him and he screeched.

"Too cold?" While they wanted to keep the kanima at partial strength, Jackson was aware enough that Scott couldn't stand to see him in pain. Seeing a slight nod, Scott allowed his own body to shift as he moved to sit beside Jackson, allowing him to leech the extra heat from his beta form. Jackson hissed in protest at the contact but his head dropped on Scott's shoulder of it's own accord and he allowed his mind to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Little was said as Scott pulled the restraints off Jackson at four am. Rolling his shoulders, the Kanima accepted his duffle bag from the alpha and started to pull on clean clothes. He could almost feel the beast clawing to get out, and while the sensation was overwhelming, at least he could feel it. Until now he been taking Scott's word for it that he was the Kanima, having no real sense of the thing other than his submission to its master, but after managing to control some of the transition and remaining conscious through out it, he was remarkably self aware.

Scott was waiting for him at the front desk, flipping through his history book with hooded eyes. "You look like crap." Jackson was met with a tired smile and he wondered if Scott actually slept last night while he was watching over him.

"We can't all be divas." He closed the book and shoved it back in his book bag. "How are you feeling?"

"Indestructible."

Scott frowned at his cocky grin. "The Kanima might be indestructible, but you aren't. Just make sure to keep away from Argent until you are in complete control of your transitions."

Jackson snorted. "Is it possible for you to be any more of a girl?"

Scott took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. While Jackson was making fun of him yet again, it wasn't with the same vindictive streak he faced in the past week. "Let's go. I need to get home before school."

.

* * *

.

"Did it work?" Stiles crashed down in the seat behind his friend in homeroom, waking him from his mini nap.

"Yes."

Frustrated by his one word answer, Stiles kicked his seat. "Yes like, complete control or yes like Jackson thinks he's in control and will probably slaughter a room full of people?"

"Second one."

"Well that's not a surprise." Stiles huffed and leaned back in his chair, occasionally kicking Scott's seat to wake him from his nap. He did his best to take notes for his friend and alpha while preventing the teacher from catching him napping. As he looked at Scott, he couldn't help but think he looked thinner than he had last week, but wrote it off as the exhaustion darkening the skin under his eyes. His eyes shot to the door when Allison's mom stepped into the room and handed Harris a note, one that made the sadistic teacher smile with glee.

"Stilinski, the Principal would like to see you."

Scott's eye shot up to his friend in concern, ignoring the hateful teacher's face. It couldn't be a coincident that Argent was calling him in on the full moon. "Stiles, whatever you do, do not shift."

"Really, Scott?" Stiles bit back the fear, clinging to the image of his mother in his mind. "Do you think he knows?"

"No. I'm sure it's a test or some mind game." Neither boy looked convinced.

"Stilinski, get moving." Harris' voice propelled him out of his chair and out of the room.

Closing his eyes and concentrating, the young alpha listened to his progress down the hall and the sneering request to sit and wait from Allison's mother when he entered the main office. Scott fought with desperation to hold in the growl when he heard Gerard call Stiles, leaving him coughing in the middle of Harris' lecture.

"McCall, get out of my room before you contaminate the experiments with your germs."

Scott practically scurried from the room in his hurry to get closer to the office. Careful to avoid the cameras, Scott slid down the hallways next to the store room across from the office, close enough to get to Stiles if Gerard tried anything.

.

* * *

.

"Good Morning, Mr. Stilinski."

Stiles tapped anxiously at the armrest as he stared at the deceivingly kind smile of the monster across from him. "Morning, Sir."

"I'm sure you are wondering why you were called down here." Biting at his thumb nail, Stiles only nodded. "Well, it's come to my attention, Mr. Stilinski that you have accumulated over sixteen hours of detention with Mr. Harris this year.

Stiles felt his hands clench in anger and he clung desperately at the image of his mom. "Yes, Sir."

"Let me reassure you, Mr. Stilinski that I don't tolerate childish behavior in my classrooms. The next time you are assigned detention with Mr. Harris, you will serve it with me."

Stiles desperately fought back a flinch and took deep cleansing breaths. "Understood, Sir."

.

* * *

.

"What are you doing?"

Scott jumped when he found Lydia behind him as he glared at the main office. "Argent is threatening Stiles."

"With what?"

"Shh." Scott snarled as he listened to Argent offer to make all the black marks go away and fix the problem with Harris if he would spy on Scott and Derek. The alpha could feel the anger radiating from his best friend. "Please keep your cool, Stiles." He tapped nervously on the wall next to him.

"What happens if he doesn't?" Lydia peeked around Scott, watching the shadows through the window binds.

"Gerard finds out about Stiles and slices him in half with the sword he keeps under his desk." Scott grimaced at the thought, biting his tongue enough to draw blood in an attempt to fight off the wolf inside.

"Scott, you're growling." Lydia leaned back away from him, concerned by the anger burning off his skin. "You're not going to freak out and kill anyone are you?"

"He's threatening you and Stiles. He said that human supporters of wolf packs were fair game and that you would be easy to kill." His muscles rippled with the change and he curled in on himself to fight the instinct. A hand grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him into the abandoned store room.

"Lydia, get Allison." Jackson shot a serious look at his ex-girlfriend.

A tremor ran down her spine as she studied the shaking form in front of her ex. "Is he?"

"Go now unless you want to figure out how to help us hide the principal's body." Jackson shoved Scott against the wall, holding him steady as he struggled with his own mind. "Calm down."

"He's threatening the pack." Red eyes glowered at his second.

"How is that any different than yesterday?" Jackson felt his claws extend, biting into Scott's neck in warning. "Calm down or I'm pumping you full of venom."

Scott seethed, trying to reign in the aggression, but he couldn't seem to pull back the beast. "I've got him." His body sagged slightly when he heard Allison's voice.

"Are you sure?" Jackson started to pull away from his alpha and was satisfied to see that he wasn't launching his body toward the door. He moved out of Allison's way and allowed her to force the alpha to sit on the floor, digging in her purse for something Jackson couldn't identify.

"Keep an eye on Stiles." The growl was an order, not something Scott usually did to Jackson, and he found his body immediately responding. Understanding how dire the situation was didn't prevent the anger at being given an order he had to obey, even when he knew Scott fought tooth and nail not to take that kind of control away from him. It was another sign of how far gone the master was in the battle with the moon. He moved stiffly into the hall and stood behind Lydia, watching the window across the hall.

"Can you hear what he is saying?" Lydia leaned back into the reassuring warmth at her back, thankful when he didn't pull away.

Jackson closed his eyes, concentrating on the two heartbeats in the room. One was strong and slow, the other was jumping around like a ping pong ball. "He's panicking."

.

* * *

.

Stiles took a deep breath and closed his eyes just as the therapist trained him to do when he was having a panic attack. His mind sought a happier place, and he found himself standing in the woods beside a campfire watching his mother charr their hotdogs to an inedible crisp while his dad laughed at the raging inferno. He felt his heart calm and he took stabilizing breaths, ignoring the threats and manipulative offers coming from the principal. When he was sure that he wasn't going to shift in front of the grand master of evil, Stiles lifted his eyes and met Gerard's. "I thank you for your concern, Sir, but I'm not sure that it's a good idea to threaten the son of the Sheriff given your daughter's less than stellar smudge on your family name. He will most likely take my side." He stood from the chair and started to walk for the door.

"We aren't done here." Gerard sneered at the boy.

Knowing Gerard wouldn't risk anything in public, Stiles shrugged and continued his path. "Then expel me. Online home schooling has really started to catch on in collegiate circles." He breezed past Victoria and out into the hall to be met with Lydia and Jackson's faces peeking around the corner.

"You're an idiot." Lydia smacked his shoulder and pulled him toward the storeroom. When Jackson relayed Stiles side of the conversation she wanted to break down the door and kill him herself. "Come on, Scott's about to kill someone."

Stiles bound through the door and found Scott trembling in Allison's arms. His red eyes were slowly fading back to brown and sweat poured off his brow. "Scott?"

The alpha's eyes shot to his and Scott was at his side in an instant, spinning his friend to ensure there was no damage. "I'm fine." Stiles studied the way his friend swayed slightly as if he was drunk. "You okay?"

Scott nodded hesitantly and adjusted the cuff of his sleeve to cover the injection mark. "I will be tomorrow." He lifted guilty eyes to Jackson, flinching at the irritation in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

An internal battle waged in Jackson's mind between the anger at Scott for asserting his control and the clear evidence of what resisting the wolf was doing to Scott. It pained him to see his master in agony and in the end, it won out over the anger. His face softened ever so slightly and he gave a nod of acknowledgement.

Scott leaned heavily against a wall in relief, knowing that, while Jackson might not have forgiven him, he had at least accepted his reasons. "We need to get out of here."

"We can't all skip." Lydia rolled her eyes. "That would be a rather obvious if we all disappeared."

"Stiles needs to leave." Jackson shot Scott a significant look and the alpha knew he was going to be having a discussion with his best friend about what happened in the room as soon as the left. "I'll keep an eye on them."

Scott followed his eyes from Lydia to Allison and he nodded. "Are you under control?" The blond nodded with a sneer. "Fine. Meet us at the clinic at sun down so I have time to get the restraints on you before the moon rises." He started for the door, dragging Stiles with him. "Call if anything happens." He waited for Jackson to nod before slipping out the door with Stiles and sneaking out of the building. Stiles didn't ask where they were going, just headed in the direction of Scott's house and gunned the engine. His encounter with Gerard left him wanting to shred something apart and it was taking all his energy not to shift in the middle of town.


	9. Chapter 9

Scott stared at the cell phone in his hand with trepidation. He wasn't anxious to call Derek given the circumstances, but he knew that the other alpha needed to hear about the confrontation with Stiles.

"What?"

Scott rolled his eyes at the irritated greeting from Derek. "Stiles just had a run in with Gerard." He took a deep breath and explained everything that happened at the school that morning, including Stiles' threat to pull out of school. He was met with silence on the other end as Derek processed all of the information.

"If he wanted Stiles to spy on me then he still thinks you're my beta." Derek sighed heavily, wishing he could just kill the hunter and get it over with for good.

"I know. I just wanted to warn you." Scott rubbed at his aching head and paced his room. "If threatening Stiles and Lydia won't work, he might be coming after one of yours next. Erica and Boyd are easy targets." Given their part in attacking Derek when he was defenseless, Scott knew that the elder alpha couldn't dispute the claim.

"Keep your pack somewhere safe tonight. We'll deal with it tomorrow." Derek's gruff voice was reassuring. "Meet me tomorrow night after sun down and we'll figure out how to get Gerard off our back."

"We'll be at the clinic if you need me."

Derek dropped his phone on one of the bench seats and sighed. He couldn't argue with Scott's feelings regarding Erica and Boyd. He needed to start repairing some of the damage before they did something that got them killed. "Isaac."

The eldest pup was immediately in front of him. "What do you need?"

Derek offered him a slight smile, at least the best he could manage. "Gerard went after Stiles and Lydia today. Get Erica and Boyd here as soon as school ends. I'm not risking you guys getting caught out tonight. We think he'll come after you three next."

"On it." Isaac grabbed the keys to his beat up Mercury and sprinted up the stairs. As much as McCall irritated him, the new alpha did have an overwhelming obsession with keeping everyone in town alive. If he and Derek were actually agreeing about something having to do with the Argents, Isaac was going to listen.

.

* * *

.

Scott studied Stiles as he secured the chains to the wall. "How are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly okay." His friend shot him a amused look. "Aside from the desire to chase cars."

The alpha snickered and tightened the restraints attached to the wall. "No desire to run off and maul a bus full of nuns?"

"Is that really an issue?" Stiles looked horrified at his long time friend. "I'm going to want to eat nuns?" A snicker drew his eyes to the door and he saw Jackson reclining against the door jamb. "So not funny."

"It was a little funny." Scott smirked and pulled a dog bowl out of his bag with Stiles scrawled across the side in sharpie. "Ah, pay back." He rubbed the fuzzy hair on Stiles' head roughly and hopped back before his friend could take a swipe at him. "You all set?"

Stiles rolled his eyes and settled back as comfortably as he could on the cold cement floor. "I'll be fine. Go truss up Lizard Boy."

Scott gave him a reassuring smile before following Jackson to the room next door where he had been bound the night before. He handed the blonde a set of cold gear before pulling in a window air conditioning unit he borrowed from Deacon's office. "Get changed, I'll get the chains ready."

Jackson refused the urge to thank Scott for trying his best to make sure the experience wasn't unbearable. As much as he understood Scott's reasoning for his behavior earlier, he still hadn't forgiven the alpha for the exertion on his free will. He was bordering on petulance as he shucked his clothes and pulled on the thick, tight fabric. He felt immediate relief against the rapidly cooling room and fought a shiver.

"Ready?" Noticing his companion's irritated behavior, Scott refrained from commenting in an already tense situation. There was a jerky nod from Jackson as he sat on the ground and allowed Scott to attach the restraints much as he had the night before.

"Where are you going to be?"

Scott noted a slight tremor in the usually strong voice. "I was going to wait at the front desk." He hesitated. "Are you warm enough or do you need me to stay."

Jackson balked at the thought of needing him even as the kanima screamed out for the presence of his master. "I'm fine."

Scott could hear the implied 'for now' in the the statement. "Call if you need anything. I have towels in the heater if you get too cold." He stood and left Jackson to his own thoughts, making his way to the reception desk.

.

* * *

.

Derek remained on the floor, his spirit broken. He needed to call Scott, to warn him about Peter coming back from the dead. He needed to get up and make sure his pack was safe, especially considering Lydia knew where to find him, but he couldn't seem to find the energy to move. As his body remained limply on the ground, his eyes on the full moon, he wondered whether he deserved to be alpha in the first place. Every choice he made after returning to Beacon Hills seemed to compound his problems instead of making things better. He closed his eyes in despair and let his pain be carried by a howl.

.

* * *

.

Scott was brought from his day dream an hour later when a howl rang through the air. "Derek." He jumped out of his chair and immediately skidded down the hall to check on his two pack mates. "You guys okay?"

Stiles nodded, shakily. "Who was that?"

"Derek, something's wrong. He's hurt." Scott left his friend and moved into Jackson's room. "You okay?"

Jackson nodded, studying Scott's frantic face. "You're going?" Scott nodded and started to turn from the room. "I'm coming with you."

"Jacks, you aren't ready yet."

"You can let me out or I can break every bone in my body until I'm free, either way, I'm coming with you." He knew it was a low blow, threatening to inflict harm on himself. There was no way that Scott was going to allow him to be hurt any more than the Kanima was going to allow its master to walk into harms way without his help.

Scott waffled for a moment, before growling. "Are you in control?"

"Yes." Every ounce of sincerity Jackson possessed was bleeding from his eyes in silent reassurance that he could handle being free.

"Scott!"

The alpha pulled the chains off Jackson before shooting back into Stiles' room. "What?"

"You are not going without me."

Studying the tremors in chained hands, Scott knew that his beta was nowhere near ready to be out on a full moon. "Are you in control."

Stiles started to spin his usual bull but stopped short at the commanding presence of his alpha demanding the truth. Sagging against the chains, he let his head fall forward in shame. "No."

Scott put a hand on his shoulder. "I got shot and almost killed three people on my first full moon. You can at least speak in full sentences and are aware enough to know your limits. You will have this under control before the next moon." He dropped Stiles cell phone next to his hand and turned to find Jackson dressed and ready to go. "We'll call as soon as we can." The pair took off into the night, sprinting in the direction of the howl.

.

* * *

.

"Lydia?"

Lydia groaned as she woke on the cold ground, her head throbbing as the last three hours came back to her. Her eyes turned to the two figures emerging from the forest. "Jackson?"

"Lydia, are you alright?" Scott fell to his knees next to the red head.

"I think so." She took his hand and allowed him to help her up.

"What happened?"

"Peter Hale hijacked me." She shivered, tears falling from her eyes as Jackson pulled her into his arms. "He made me help him get Derek here so he could use his blood to come back from the dead."

Scott gasped in horror before sprinting into the house to find Derek. The other alpha was sprawled on the ground next to a hole in the floor boards where they buried Peter's body. "Derek?" He smacked the unconscious man's face in a desperate attempt to wake him up.

"McCall! We've got company."

"Damn it." With a grunt of effort, he threw Derek's body over his shoulder and carried him out the door. "Lydia, where is your car?" She pointed to the compact car around the corner of the house. "Can you drive?" He paused long enough to see her nod before he shoved Derek into the passenger seat. "I need you to drive Derek to the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic. The hunters heard Derek's call and they are on their way here. You are as much of a target as we are because you survived Peter's bite."

Tears streamed down her face, but when she felt Jackson's grip tighten on her shoulder, she stood up straight. "I can do that."

"We'll draw them off you and try to give you a chance to get away." He smiled reassuringly. "Stiles is there, but he's a bit tied up so don't be too hard on him."

Lydia nodded, looking for Jackson's input. "Jackson?"

"I'll be right behind you. I promise." He gave her a kiss on the forehead and pushed her toward the car. As soon as the motor was running, he turned to Scott. "You ready?"

Scott nodded angrily, red eyes glaring out into the darkness toward the sound of the approaching ATVs. "Let's go." With a feral roar, he shifted into his beta form, praying that the carnage wasn't too great as he sprinted out into the night with Jackson on his heels.


End file.
